Hopefully it doesn’t serve as too much of a step backward in regards to the abusive relationship aspect, and that our generation can do enough to help influence and put into context fiction like this, so that the next generation of women don’t try to adopt this back-asswards ‘ideal’.

Thanks for the reply and your thoughts! Love it!

Yes, I do think the author contorts what I believe the BDSM community to be. I am in no way an expert on this topic, so please don’t hold me too
accountable. It feels like liberties are taken with the dominant / submissive relationship as a tool to drive story conflict more than to give actual validation to the practice.

Look. People are free to live their lives however they want. I have zero issue with that. My problem stems from the protagonist’s inability to live her life without intervention from a man. EL James is quick to try and dispel this by having Ana attempt to renegotiate her
life contract with Christian, but seriously, what’s the deal with wanting someone to control everything you do?

Fifty Shades is not alone in this and to be fair, it did start off as Twilight fan fiction (fun fact!). I guess we should all be happy
that Ana isn’t trying to sacrifice her mortality for Christian in a Bella-and-Edward-kind of way. Instead, she would just settle with being
physically and emotionally abused. Go figure.

Does this have a negative impact on feminism? Maybe. A lot of female readers are ferociously attracted to this type of “domineering man”
in popular “literature.” I certainly wouldn’t want my daughter looking up to characters like Ana or Bella Swan. A friend of mine who teaches Jr High told me she has seen kids in her middle school reading Fifty Shades. I have also seen young girls sharing excerpts via social media. My fear for the rights
of women does not necessarily fall on my generation, but rather the ones following. How can we continue to idealize this type of female protagonist who is so insecure they need to be told how to live or who to be? That should not be romanticized and only perpetuates the feeling of inequality.

You ask about sexual exploration. I’m sure many people have read this book for that purpose alone and I am okay with that. What frustrates
me is the hype surrounding this book and its ability to infiltrate mainstream culture with this kind of success.

You want to read an erotic novel? Go for it! There are some gifted authors out there who can weave the smut into a well-rounded story. Well, maybe. Haha!

Fifty Shades rests on the back of an abusive relationship stemming from child molestation and packages it in a world of private jets and designer duds. Awesome role-models.

Anyway, there is my long-winded answer. Thanks for the insightful questions and for reading my review. : – )

Do you think (based on what you read) it could have a negative influence for feminism etc. based on the values that are conveyed? Or do you think it is more of a liberation tool to help people find the courage to explore their sexuality?

Would welcome thoughts from anyone who reads this hehehe. Aaaand I feel like I’ve just entered a TMI area. Hmmm…